ItinerariesReady-made day plans, stop by stop
Places to exploreMuseums, parks, neighborhoods and icons
Metro Detroit mapWhat Metro Detroit is, and what every town is about
The Henry FordRosa Parks’ bus, Greenfield Village and the Ford Rouge Factory
RenCen: live trackerThe Renaissance Center’s past, present and future, up to the minute
Gordie Howe BridgeThe new bridge to Canada: live waits, tolls, and yes, you can walk it
ToursBy boat, by bike or on foot, with a local guide
Escape roomsOne hour, one lock and your crew
Plan a meetingVenues, hotels and what’s on in town on your dates
Detroit A–ZFrom limos to chambers of commerce: every business and service in one place
Classic · One day
Creole-spiced Southern brunch, a mural alley, Belle Isle's nature center and shore, the great museum of African American history, Diego Rivera, soul food and jazz.
Detroiters don't rest on Sunday, they just slow the pace. Start with a Creole-spiced Southern brunch downtown, wander a mural alley, drive out to Belle Isle for some nature and river air, spend the afternoon in two great Midtown museums, and finish with soul food and live music at the city's oldest continuously operating jazz club.
10:00
Downtown (Financial District)
Wendy Ringo's brunch spot on West Jefferson: Southern comfort food with Creole spice, fluffy pancakes, benedicts and big brunch plates, with cakes and pies baked fresh every day. There are brunch cocktails, and the patio is dog-friendly.
Short downtown walk to Library Street.
11:30
Downtown
Walk off brunch in The Belt, the alley Library Street Collective turned into an open-air gallery, with rotating murals by well-known contemporary artists. Free, any time.
Drive east on Jefferson Avenue, over the MacArthur Bridge, to Lakeside Drive on the island's east side.
12:15
Belle Isle
The Detroit Zoo's small nature center, open since 2005 among Belle Isle's undisturbed forested wetlands. Inside: animal habitats, a bee exhibit and a bird window; outside: a native butterfly garden and the Blue Heron Lagoon Nature Trail. Check hours before you go.
A few minutes' drive to the island's shoreline.
13:15
Belle Isle
Find a bench on the shore with the downtown skyline and Windsor across the water, and the James Scott Memorial Fountain on the island. The 982-acre park's woods and shoreline are made for a Sunday stroll.
Drive back west to Midtown's museum district, on East Warren Avenue.
14:15
Midtown
The great museum of African American history and culture, founded by physician Charles H. Wright in 1965. Its central rotunda is a place of shared memory for the city: Rosa Parks and Aretha Franklin both lay in repose here. Give it real time.
Short walk west to Woodward.
15:45
Midtown
At the DIA, head for Rivera Court, where Diego Rivera's Detroit Industry murals put factory work at the center of the museum. On the way out, the DIA Shop sells a Diego Rivera jigsaw puzzle to take home.
Drive northwest to Livernois Avenue.
18:30
Livernois / Avenue of Fashion
Baker's on Livernois is Detroit's oldest continuously operating jazz club, and its own history lists Miles Davis, Billie Holiday and John Coltrane among past performers. Soul food, American classics and live jazz in a small, intimate room: that's how you end a Sunday.
Cab or drive home from here.
14 stops
Detroit in 48 hours: the classics and the brand-new citySaturday market, the riverfront, Art Deco lobbies and the newest Detroit: a two-day plan you can mostly do on foot.
9 stops
The Dad weekend: cars, barbecue, bowling and a little luckThe Model T's birthplace, a ballpark, whiskey, barbecue, bowling and The Henry Ford: two days Dad will be talking about for years.
9 stops
Hop on, hop off: a whole day riding the QLINEFrom the riverfront to New Center along Woodward: a statue, public squares, a movie palace, modern art, city history, Art Deco and Motown.We built these plans from our own checked place pages. Hours and prices change, so check each place’s page before you go.
